


A Curse of Snake

by The_Porg_is_not_impressed



Series: Our own house [4]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Universe, Chandrila, Established Relationship, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Reylo - Freeform, Two Halves of Reylo, bad nightmare, reyloweeklychallenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 08:27:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16950489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Porg_is_not_impressed/pseuds/The_Porg_is_not_impressed
Summary: This text is part of a collection of weekly entries written for the Two Halves of Reylo Tumblr community. #ReyloWeeklyChallengeThe Girl sighed again, put her palm on the mirror, an invitation to approach.“ I'm… ”Before she could say her name, the mirror began to melt, turning into a kind of transparent lava that flooded the floor of the cavern, of the bedroom. Surprised, the Boy tried to back down. But the Monster’s hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing it so hard that the pain spread throughout his body.- Look again, look better, young apprentice. -The Monster was angry. The Boy obeys.





	A Curse of Snake

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Reylo Weekly Challenge n°6 : Fear.

The Boy didn’t dare to look at the Monster. He kept his head down and counted the seconds while waiting that the anguish that knotted his stomach disappears. He wanted to cry. But he could not. He should not. So, he chewed his lower lip nervously to hold back the tears, as he did when his parents scolded him after a mistake. Except that his parents didn’t scare him.

Never.  
Not always.  
Or not willingly.

The boy didn’t remember very well. His memories were confused, broken. He had become unable to tell the difference between reality and nightmares. And, anyway, it did not matter. Not anymore. He was alone. In his room. In the dark. Nobody wanted him, except the shadows that wrapped around his mind until its choke him.

Maybe the voices were lying, saying that his place was with the Monster. Maybe the voices were wrong. Or not. He was tired of trying to understand. He just wanted to have peace. The control. No longer breaking things for no reason.

\- You are a monster ! - A voice suddenly shouted. A voice he didn’t know.

No. Voice was lying. Voice was wrong. The Monster was in front of him. It was someone else. In his head. And what was living in his head had nothing to do with him. Isn’t it ? Even if it visited him every night and prevented him from sleeping. Even if he desperately needed to join him.

\- Look at me. Look at you. You are powerful. You are weak. You are a disappointment. -

The Boy trembled. The Monster touched his face now, leaving a burning but invisible mark under his left eye. He was too terrified to back off. To say no. Because the Monster had always been there when he felt lonely. And he could never get rid of it. So he had to live with it.

Suddenly, the room became darker, bigger. It was not really a child’s room anymore, but a sort of cave. The smell of the sea was strong, outside, the waves were smashing against the rocky walls.

Now, the voices murmured in an unknown language, and the Monster forced the Boy to raise his head.

There was a mirror in front of him. A strange mirror. Old as time. Living. And it called him. But it was not reasonable to approach it. Not until he receive the order.

Which didn’t stop the Boy from being fascinated. Because the shadow, the figure facing him, was not his. She was smaller. More frail. And oddly, he knew she was a girl. Even if he could not see her face.

“ Who are you ? ” She asked.

He hesitated to answer. The Monster might not appreciate it. And because he didn’t want it to hurt him, he decided to keep quiet. A minute passed, every seconds marked by the beating of his heart.

“ So ? What is your name ? ” Repeated the girl.

She had taken an impatient tone. Almost imperious. But not bad. She was just curious. So, despite the fear, the Boy was curious too.

“ I am B…uh…Kylo Ren. And you ? ”

He heard her sigh, thought understood she was disappointed. But the Monster was jubilant. So, he persuaded himself that he had given the right answer.

The Girl sighed again, put her palm on the mirror, an invitation to approach.

“ I'm… ”

Before she could say her name, the mirror began to melt, turning into a kind of transparent lava that flooded the floor of the cavern, of the bedroom. Surprised, the Boy tried to back down. But the Monster’s hand rested on his shoulder, squeezing it so hard that the pain spread throughout his body.

\- Look again, look better, young apprentice. -

The Monster was angry. The Boy obeys. He didn’t want to be punished. Not again. He didn’t want to feel the burning of lightning on his skin anymore. Tears were still threatening to flow. He held back a sob.

The puddle that the mirror had become began to shake, then to boil. Soon, it was no longer transparent, but black. Black as a starless night. Like the Darkness that held out its arms to him.  
Something loud, a hoarse breathing, was heard. And, like a corpse coming out of the ground, a creature, the melted mirror, rose slowly taking a humanoid form.

The Boy had barely blinked as a man stood in front of him. A man with a mask. And a mechanical breathing. Painful. Beside the Boy, the Monster made a sort of laugh. A squeaky laugh. Vicious. Horrible.

The Man walked towards them. With a slow step. Threatening. Like a predator. The Boy knew immediately that he was preparing an attack. But, for the second time, curiosity was greater than fear, and the words of the Girl came back to him.

" Who are you ? "

The Man froze, surprised by the question. Then, he quickly pulled himself together and lit his Lightsaber. Red like blood. Unstable.

" I am a monster. "

At these words, the Man threw himself on the Monster and sliced it in two, freeing the Boy. But it was not to save him. They both knew it.

While the Man in black turned his weapon towards him, the Boy rushed to the door of his room, crossed the hall, ran down the stairs and ran out of the house. Except that it was not the vast plains of Chandrila that awaited him. But the desert. A burning desert that smelled of metal and death.

It didn’t matter. The Boy thought only of fleeing. Where to go was no longer a relevant question.  
He ran for what seemed like an eternity. Until the desert becomes a green forest. Until the green forest becomes a snowy forest.

He never turned to see if the Man was still following him. And never the Man did seem to catch up with him.

The Boy could not stop running, even though he was short of breath. Even if his lungs and throat burned him. Even if the world around him narrowed with every step. Even if he saw less and less where he put his feet.

He had to continue, to run, he had to. To not be caught. To not be outdistanced.

He thought he saw a glimmer in front of him. A piece of white tunic. Someone was running too. Someone was still running.

His prey.

He stumbled over a root he had not seen, swore in silence, and removed his mask. A mask that prevented him from seeing clearly. Which creature would want to remain blind during a hunting, because of something so trivial ? On one impulse, he sent the helmet crashing against a tree. He didn’t need that. Not anymore.

The Boy no longer existed. And the Man, Kylo Ren, was a monster.  
But, for who was he the monster ?  
That of the figure running in front of him? The Girl ?

Impatient and galvanized by this pursuit, Kylo Ren resumed his race, taking care not to let himself be slowed by snow or trees.

The Girl.  
He had to capture the Girl.  
No.  
Not capture her.  
Kill her.

He didn’t want to be seduced by the Light anymore. Darkness called him in such a soft voice.  
So he went faster. Gained ground on his prey. He had been running for too long after freedom, peace. Days, months, years. The hunt was finally going to end.

Kylo Ren was only animated by hatred when the Girl stopped abruptly in the middle of a clearing. She was turning her back on him, and seemed barely breathless. She had grown up, like him. And he didn’t feel her scared. Not anymore. She was waiting for this moment. He knew it.

The conflict was inevitable.

But she was not armed. And she did not intend to defend herself. Despite this, he preferred to stay out of reach. Ten meters away.

" Do you know who you are? Do you know who I am ? "

He didn’t answer. What he knew concerned just him. And it didn’t matter now. Rey seemed to have the talent of asking questions out of context.

" Yes, you know. Ben. "

She let out a small laugh. Charming. Nervous. The Bond between them was silent. Like the forest. And time had stopped.

Rey finally turned to him. For a second, her thirst for blood reflected his, he watched it dancing in her eyes. But her fury dissipated faster than a mirage. She didn’t want to fight him. However, he felt that he had suddenly lost the advantage.

Because she began to walk towards him without fear.  
Because she was crying silently.  
Because she was smiling kindly.  
Because her Light was marrying his Darkness without destroying them.

For a moment, Kylo Ren was frightened.

When Rey was so close to him that he could see the green that speckling the gold of her eyes, he firmly adjusted the grip of his fingers around his Lightsaber. He would not fail. Not this time. She was his last obstacle before deliverance. His last chance.

" Do it, Ben. "

He didn’t understand why she refused to defend herself. He was wondering where the trap was.

Rey took advantage of his confusion to cross the last meter that separated them.  
She hugged him without hesitation as he activated the Lightsaber, as his blade crossed her belly.

Rey was scarcely shaking, despite the pain. Her smile was beautiful. Full of hope. And it was surreal. It was too much.

A suffering without name suddenly burst in the Kylo Ren’s chest. It was so violent that he had to struggle to stay standing.

Rey hugged him harder. As if to reassure him. This didn’t make sense. He was her enemy. Her murderer. A monster.

But she was not afraid. Not by him.

The veil of fury that blinded Kylo Ren slowly disappeared. And despair took hold of him, when he realized what he had done.

The cold began to creep under his skin. And it also began to rain. He looked up at a sky as empty as his soul. There was not a cloud. It was not raining. Not really. It was he who was crying.

Something touched his cheek. Rey. He lowered his eyes to meet her stare. Her caress was soft and warm as she was redrawing his scar.

Then, without warning, she kissed him.

Ben froze. He didn’t know how to react.  
He could not even turn off the Lightsaber. His body refused to obey him.  
He felt himself dying.

No.

He felt her.  
It was Rey who was dying.

An unnamed terror overwhelmed him. He wanted to go back. But it was too late.

Rey breathed her last breath against his lips. The next moment, she was gone.

Ben fell on his knees. The snow around him had turned red. It began to swallow him slowly. Suddenly, he heard the laugh of the Monster. A laugh like snake whistles. And he recognized other voices. But he knew now. He could not lie to himself anymore. There was no Light. There was no 

Darkness. There was only the Force. Only Rey.

\- And you killed her. -

He could not think of anything else. The pain was unbearable. Before the snow had completely consumed him, he heard someone scream in sorrow. Of suffering.

He didn’t understand that this voice, this last voice, belonged to him.

*

Ben awoke abruptly, trembling so hard that his muscles were painful. He had not had such a violent nightmare for almost two months. A hand over his eyes, he gradually regained his breath, mentally repeating to himself that Snoke had been dead for three years.

This old thing would never come back, even if the voice in his head wanted him to believe otherwise. And he was no longer the Jedi Killer, or anything else in connection with the First Order. He was free, and happy with his new life.

When he was calm enough, Ben searched for Rey in the bed. He knew she had been with him in the nightmare. Really there. He had felt her. Sometimes, thanks to the Bond, they shared their dreams as if it were visions. They had learned to live with it. Most of the time, it was pleasant and good. Not this night.

Rey was not here. For a brief moment, Ben panicked, and quickly left the bed, frightened at the mere thought that she had disappeared from his plane of the existence, as at the time, when light-years separated them and that the Bond united them for few minutes, before he found himself alone with contradictory feelings.

But his fear was short-lived. Because it was stupid. Rey was still there. With him. At their home. She just needed to move away to regain control of her thoughts. And he didn’t have to use the Force or the Bond to know where she preferred to go for regain her calm.

As the spring nights were fresh on Chandrila, and that Ben was certain that his dear Scavenger had gone outside without worrying about the cold, he provided himself with a shawl before going out through the French window still open.

The garden that bordered their bedroom was vast, lush. It was a private place where they loved to relax, meditate or practice, enjoying each other’s company in quietude.

Rey was there, arms crossed, standing among the flowers and plants they had planted together. She stared at the sky, at the stars, and persisted in turning her back on him, even though she had felt his presence. Because she was crying.

Her hair was not tied, she was barefoot, like him, and she wore nothing more than a semi-transparent nightie. Usually, Ben would have found this vision very seductive, especially since the night was clear and gave her body an almost mystical aura. But Rey shivered a little, so he hurried to join her to cover her shoulders with the shawl. Then he stood next to her, put a protective arm around her waist. She snuggles against him, letting out a sigh that’s close to a sob.

" I killed you Ben…you didn’t even want to fight…you left me do it…"  
" Everything is fine Rey, it was just a horrible bad dream…"  
" I know…I know…but it seemed so real…and you saw it too. "

Ben bit his lower lip, pushing away the vision of what he had done in his dream.

" Not really. For me, the roles were reversed, and I would have preferred it otherwise. "

His voice was hoarse and trembling slightly. Rey turned to take him in her arms. He responded to her embrace, pressed her against him, leaning his chin on the top of her head.

" Do you think these nightmares will stop one day ? "

He sighed. He didn’t want to lie. They both knew that demons would never really disappear. Even if they had fewer nightmares than before, they would probably do it so until the end of their lives.

" I am sorry. You make this kind of dreams because of me. "  
" Please, don’t apologize Ben. Not for that. "

A comfortable silence settled between them. The minutes passed, during which they finally relaxed completely. The anxiety provoked by the nightmare had passed.  
Despite the warmth of their embrace, Rey began shivering again. They had remained too long without moving, and the return of tiredness made her more sensitive to the cold.

" We should go home, otherwise you will end up getting sick. "

She laughs a little, and stroked his back with her fingertips. Then, she pulled away from him to point to his naked chest.

" You too. "

Ben raised an eyebrow, resisting the urge to remind her that it was not he who should follow the advice of their doctor. This would only provoke a battle of arguments. And anyway, Rey knew her physical limits, though sometimes she was not very reasonable. So, he kept his opinion for himself, even though she had probably guessed it.

They didn’t really want to go back to bed, even if there were a few hours left before dawn. However, they wanted to find the comfort of the sheets, the pleasure of sharing a reassuring embrace.

Ben knew he could not sleep more, so when Rey snuggled up against his chest with a discreet yawn, he decided to watch over her sleep for the rest of the night.

While waiting for Rey to fall asleep, Ben soothed her by stroking her arm, then her belly. She was not hurt. She was fine. They were fine. She and the small presence he felt flourishing under his fingers. A small bump, round, soft. A small presence in the Force, which would soon be four months old… 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, feel free to leave a comment, it is always a pleasure. ^^  
> I said that English is not my mother tongue and I don't have a Beta reader, so I apologize for the mistakes.
> 
> If you want, you can find me on my main blog; til-lyanae.tumblr.com


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